An Hour to Kill Blu Ray Review (Rotten Productions)
An Hour to Kill is a 2018 horror anthology film co-written, produced, & directed by Aaron K. Carter (Dead Kansas). It was co-written by Ronnie Jimenez. It was produced by Jacob Harlow (Transportation, Dead Kansas, Grimm’s Snow White, & The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange). It won best director under Horror Action Comedy for Aaron K. Carter & best actor for Mel Novak at the 2019 Los Angeles Nollywood Awards. Two hired killers, the rookie Frankie (played by: Frankie Pozos from LA 143 & Die Influencers Die) & the veteran Gio (played by: Aaron Guerrero from Dead Kansas) under the guidance of their Mob Boss Mr. Kinski (played by: Mel Novak from Black Belt Jones, Truck Turner, Virginia Hill, Game of Death, Force: Five, & An Eye for an Eye) have an hour to kill before their next hit. Gio has to find out if his partner is working with rival Arash (played by: Arash Dibazar from Light Visions & The Process) before he can execute his brutal plan. To help pass the time, they entertain themselves by telling horror stories to one another. Which one has the sickest tale from the two professional hit men? The stories are “Valkyrie’s Bunker”, “Assacre”, & “Hog Hunters”.
I enjoyed An Hour to Kill for the most part. It kinda came off as a crime film at first with some sharp dialogue but it turned into something completely different soon after. This independent feature was a unique spin on the horror anthology sub-genre. Just think if Quentin Tarantino made a Troma film earlier in his career, it kinda has that vibe going for it. This one has everything from escaped ghosts with some nazis lurking, competitive eating with some dangerous food, & bowling gone deliverance. The script was better than expected & usually that’s a weakness when it comes to these smaller movies. Frankie Pozos, Aaron Guerrero, & Mel Novak were all solid in An Hour to Kill. The chemistry between Pozos & Guerrero was great, it elevated the screenplay when they shared scenes together. Most of the cast was over the top but they were fun to watch. The wrap around was actually my favorite segment from this anthology. I would have loved to see a full length version of it. I thought both “Valkyrie’s Bunker” & “Hog Hunters” were good. They both had their moments that stood out. I hated “Assacre”, I thought that segment was really bad. Brendan Mitchell gave one of the worst performances that I’ve ever seen in my life as himself. I did like how they tied everything together at the end. An Hour to Kill is solid for the most part but it does have some stuff that could have been removed or improved.
Let’s talk about the high definition presentation & special features from Rotten Productions. This 1080i (1.78:1) transfer is solid for being a low budget independent feature. The English: Dolby Digital 2.0 track is decent here. It has it’s moments during the action/horror scenes. The dialogue is very clean & the music has a nice boost to it. “The Pick Up Artists” is a little over 18 minutes. Aaron K. Carter & Brendan Mitchell go to a seminar about picking up chicks. The two speakers for it are actually in this movie. I am guessing how they met them & decided to use them for this indie movie later on. This was kinda funny & an interesting watch. “The Making of Assacre” hosted by Brendan Mitchell is almost 14 minutes. It has a interviews with some cast & crew from the segment. It some behind the scenes footage from the short. It shows them putting together the special fx for it. I did knock Mitchell above for his acting but he’s decent at doing these type of videos. This was a cool inside look into making this segment from the anthology. “The Hog Stripper” hosted by Brendan Mitchell is a little over 16 minutes. It has a interviews with some cast & crew from the segment. It some behind the scenes footage at the strip club from the short. It’s a fun inside look into the making of this segment. “The Premiere” hosted by Brendan Mitchell is a little over 18 minutes. It has a interviews with some cast & crew from An Hour to Kill. They all show up to showcase the film in LA. They all share their thoughts after the screening. It has a “Trailer” for the feature also. This is a made on demand release & if I recall right it was only limited to 100 copies. It’s a BD-R but it’s a higher quality one. The DVD is easier to get if you can’t find this blu ray, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
